Page 23 of Auctioned Wolf Bride

“It’s nothing,” she said.

I bristled. “When the hell were you going to tell me?”

“When we weren’t being chased by a psychotic pack of kidnappers?”

I brushed away the deflection, shaking my head. “If it had happened recently, it wouldn’t be bandaged. You didn’t have time to do that since I found you. I would have seen it.”

Her jaw worked, her eyes not meeting mine. She scowled. “All right, fine,” she said. “It happened when they kidnapped me. They bandaged it up and used longer sleeves so none of the bidders would see it. Apparently, ‘damaged goods diminish the value.’ Their words, not mine.”

Thea was anything but damaged goods. The thought that they’d said that to her face made me want to turn around and fight each and every one of them.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked, trying to focus on the problem at hand rather than my own rage.

“Because I didn’t want you insisting I go home,” she said. “I know you would have—”

“Damn right, I would have,” I interrupted.

Thea continued as if I hadn’t said anything. “And I wanted to help. I knew we had to act soon, and it wasn’t as though the arm injury was going to matter. I wasn’t expecting to have to fight.”

I growled. “Do you have some weird compulsion to run into danger?”

“It’s not that,” she said.

“Then what?”

She didn’t answer. When the silence dragged for a minute and she refused to budge, I let it drop.

“We’ll talk about it later,” I said. “For now, let’s get inside.”

The cabin was a one-bedroom, the living room and kitchen cramped, even if nicely furnished. A sofa, the only other real furniture in the entire space, sat facing a fireplace.

“Shower’s through there,” I said, nodding at one of the doors. “And there are always some spare clothes in the bedroom in case of an emergency. You should be able to find something other than that to wear.”

“Yeah. The sooner I get this off, the happier I’ll be.” She shuddered, as if the memory was enough to make her stomach curl. “Thanks.”

I waited, listening as the shower ran, thinking about the events of the last few hours. It would be an understatement to say Thea had impressed me. I had to admire her tenacity and bravery, even if her stubbornness about getting into dangerous situations drove me crazy.

Then another thought crept into my head. I’d bought Thea. I’d claimed her. In a way, she belonged to me. I’d never do something she didn’t want, but that thought nestled into my head, something about it almost appealing. She was mine, and no one else’s. And part of me wanted to keep it that way.

It didn’t make sense, either. I’d never wanted to be tied down or attached to any one person. Thea, however…

Squeezing my eyes shut, I shoved the thought away. If the claiming bond was going to keep messing with me like this, I’d have to figure out a way to slow things down so I could think straight. Better yet, I needed a way to stop it all together. Hopefully, Mark found a lead by now. Because if this was what the bond was like while it was still growing, I didn’t want to know how bad it would get when it fully set in.

The shower shut off with a squeak, and a moment later, Thea came out, looking rejuvenated. The shirt she’d found was a little tight around the chest, accentuating her breasts and her small waist.

“Feel better?” I asked. When she nodded, I continued, “All right. Let me see your arm.”

She held out her hand and rolled up the sleeve. I noticed her sharp intake of breath as I took her wrist and pulled her closer to me, but pretended not to notice. Instead, I focused on unwrapping the bandage, ignoring how satisfied my wolf was at being this close to Thea as I dropped the dirty bandage onto the floor.

I ran my thumb unconsciously against her smooth skin as I examined the wound. Something about touching her made me more at ease. I knew she was safe. I was close enough to protect her. To do other things to her. Because the more I looked at her, the more I noticed the way her eyes glittered in the right light, and how her plump lips were a deep crimson, almost unnaturally red. Her still-damp hair clung to her face, framing her high cheekbones and giving her an almost regal look.

“It’s not as bad as I feared,” I said, forcing myself to focus on the injury. “It should heal in—” I hesitated, glancing up at her. “Uh... do absents heal at the same speed as…” I trailed off.

Her full lips quirked upward, suddenly insanely distracting. “At the same speed as ‘normal’ shifters?” She used air quotes at the word “normal.” She sighed, then said, “Yes. We do. We’re still shifters, you know. I’m able to show claws and teeth. Just not much else.”

I nodded, releasing her arm to rummage in the first aid kit next to me.

“How does your wolf like it?” I asked, focusing on the wrap so I didn’t have to look at her.

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